I have this exact worm farm with 3 trays. I filled all three trays with somewhat aged compost. And started feeding the top tray. Every 5 weeks I bring the bottom tray up. After a few rotations you will find that your population has grown and you can actually harvest every 5 weeks. I'm one year on and the worms are getting faster and faster.
Hello, I just want you to know that your system is at my terrace long far away in Chile. It works incredible and has been a great experience for me. Thanks a lot for your development
Thanks mate, good clear and simple explanation. Appreciate your replying to comments too, I wasn't aware that the middle tray also worked effectively as a worm housing.
This looks awesome. Saw them in bunnings today but didn’t buy. This video has sold me, thanks! Ps put your website link in the description as can help you convert people easier.
I am confused. I have the Worm Cafe with 4 layers as you show at the beginning (1:38). The 4th layer at the bottom is the liquid container which you say always keep the tap open so the liquid fertilized drains out straight away into a bucket. So there are 3 more trays above the base tray. If this is the case then there is no need at all for a deep dray as the base. So the next tray up you put the bedding and the worms. 3rd tray. On the top tray you call the working tray you add the vegie scraps etc and the blanket. Why have I got an extra tray? At 4:53 you take off the top working tray and take off the 2nd tray you call the home tray and empty out all the worm castings. Then you take what was the working tray (now empty) and put that on the bottom. It is now empty whereas when you started the bottom tray had the bedding mixture plus the worms. So did the worms climb up into the working tray at the top? I have 3 trays above the base tray. You seem to be working with one less tray - ie only 2 trays. Also, if you needed the bedding mixture at the beginning do you not need it later on? I am confused.
With the worm café, with having more additional working trays available, the worms can process up to 4-6kg of waste per week using this worm farm. The bottom collector tray is collects the liquid, the next tray up is where the bedding block is placed with the worms, and the tray above that to place the kitchen food scraps etc in there with the worm blanket on top. Once the working trays fill up - which generally takes around 3-6 months you can than add the additional working tray on top and start feeding the worms from that top working tray - so you will have 3 working trays at that point running. The worms travel up and down the working trays for food also. Your don’t need to add an additional bedding block later on, we advise to set this up originally for a few reasons, it’s a natural fiber that the worms will gradually eat and process over time, and also its to get you started for the worms to start living amongst when starting out in the worm farm in the home tray.
The farm shown in the video only has three layers not four. The bottom layer is the liquid collector, then there is a home tray and then a working tray and then the lid (the lid looks like a layer to you I think). When he emptied the home tray, he put the working tray down on top of the liquid collector and then put the now empty home tray on top. It becomes the new working tray.
I agree it should be included in the kit.....so until I can get back to bunnings which is an hour away from me I will just have to improvise and use something else
Fabulous idea - been doing it for years (along with catching and burying carp in our garden). Got a couple of videos on my channel about how to bury carp easily.
I am considering getting a worm farm but am still unsure about a couple of things. At 4:12 when the castings tray was taken out and emptied to be put in the garden or whatnot, where are the worms? Had they already made their way to the other tray or am I to sift them out and physically save them from being emptied from the farm?
Generally speaking the worms tend to travel to where the food source is in the top working trays, if you ever notice any worms when you are about to remove the castings from the bottom working tray, you can simply hand pick them out and place them in the top working tray.
I noticed that in the manual compared to the tutorial there is a major difference in the set up.On page 9 Setting up your worm farm it says to use just one working tray (as per picture on page 3) and let them settle for a a couple days, which I did. Yet in the tutorial I just watched his initial setup used two trays to begin with. One for the compost and worms, the other for the scraps covered by the blanket. Now, i want to know how and why my worms died on the second day when I followed their manual, yet they were thriving in my own home made bin prior to transferring them. A lot of them also ended up in the tea tray. I'm hoping the company will be able to respond and explain this as it is now going to cost me more money to start over which is very annoying when I had some huge worms and lots of eggs. Also my worms were straight from my garden and I spent about 15 hours collecting them with a bad back. I used the worms natural soil in my homemade set up and they thrived, then used the coir bedding with some of their original soil mixed.
Hi Tania, I apologise for your experience so far with our product. If you could please forward your contact details to myself at sales@reln.com.au and I'll be happy to go through with you and determine what has happened to work towards a solution in keeping your worms healthy and happy. Lauren
@@YourEarthMatters this is the same situation for me. I wondered what the exrra tray was for. Manual not the same as this. Makes more sense now. I've been putting the food scraps into the origional worm tray along with the worms and starter compost block. Been a few weeks now and all seems to be ok, but this makes more sense.
Hi tumbleweed or Angus, Sorry for this silly question but for the top tray u know how you put the food scraps up there? how come you cant put the food scraps with the worms in the middle tray where you placed the coir bedding?. And how does the worm castings stay at the lower level when they are feeding at the top? sorry about this I am just a little bit confused.
Worms are top feeders, meaning they will always move upwards to the surface to find food. They will move around in the worm farm to deposit castings in the lower part of the worm farm - the working trays all have holes in the base which allow worms to travel between the trays. You can start a worm farm with one tray or two - it’s completely up to you. Both ways will work. If you are starting with one tray, your worms will live in the bedding and you will feed them in that tray directly onto the bedding. If setting up with two trays to start with, it’s important to make sure that the two trays ‘connect’. This means that the bedding in the lower tray touches the base of the upper tray - allowing worms to travel between trays. If setting up with two trays, you always feed the worms in the top tray, as worms will travel to find the food. As worms work in a cycle of moving upwards to feed, then downwards to deposit castings, you will find the most processed castings will always be in your lowest working tray. Because worms work in this way, when the castings look dark and smell earthy, they can easily be harvested by removing the lower tray and emptying the castings. This tray now becomes the top tray where you will feed your worms, and the whole cycle starts again.
confused. "the home tray being full" has no bearing on the bottom tray's readiness, correct? Also, my working tray contains more soil-like material than the bottom tray, which still feels much like the original coir.
I notice when you rotate the trays, the new home tray doesn’t have any cardboard at the bottom though, so whatever that was needed for (I think it is to stop the worms dropping into the liquid) is not needed later for some reason? Also other worm farms tutorials only use the one tray for home and work until it gets full and then they place the second tray on top, emptying the bottom tray once the worms migrate. You recommend using both trays from the get go?
Above ground worm farming is the perfect way to generate substantial quantities of liquid organic fertiliser, or ‘leachate’, which can be used to liquid feed the urban garden in a sustainable way. The digestion process in the worm’s gut produces vermicast, which includes a lot of soluble nutrients and beneficial organic matter. The nutrients can be leached out, or the vermicast can be used to make a ‘tea’. Depending on the feedstock, a worm farm will usually produce a fertiliser that contains the essential nutrients for plant growth in the right balance to replace those removed when we harvest our various food crops. In addition, the food moves through the gut of an earthworm, a complex range of beneficial microbes are added to it. Consequently, if you use fresh worm liquid on your garden, it has the added benefit of acting as a probiotic for your soil as well. Ensure you leachate or ‘tea’ is not too dark that you can’t see through it - as this indicates it’s too strong to put straight onto plants. If the solution is too concentrated, add water until you can see through it to avoid any burning of plants. This is particularly important to young seedlings but can also apply to more mature plants. This liquid can be applied strategically at the times most needed, for example to boost the growth of young seedlings or to obtain a dramatic response from plants that are starting to fruit. - Cited from “Grow Your Own - how to be an urban farmer” by Angus Stewart & Simon Leake.
Very nice! I know this is for the composting worms, but will this model work for European Nightcrawlers? All it has to do is keep them happy for a week or two, to be let out when my front and back lawns are aerated in the spring, and there are nice holes to hop into. (Last year, I tried drilling into the hard clay soil with an auger bit, and this was not an easy solution.) And how many worms, realistically will a tray hold? I can order 100-1000. Scheduling around the post office, the weather and my lawn guy has not worked, timing wise. And they really really want to get going in just a couple of hours of being delivered.
I’m unfamiliar with the European Nightcrawlers - from what I have read up on them on google, they have similar characteristics as the red wigglers (Eisenia Fetida), and their relatively thin skin makes these worms best suited for a sheltered composting environment. Usually as a guideline we advise for the purpose of setting up the worm farm is to start with 1000 worms, however they usually breed over time, and can fill up to roughly 10,000 worms in the worm farm.
So, I am finding keeping my system too moist is attracting mites and flies. Is it possible I am not watering enough? I can not imagine adding this much water weekly. But maybe I am not watering it enough?
Does anybody know how to stop worms getting out of worm cafe at night short of leaving a light on at night? Most get out and then I get more more worms which then they all die in the heat of summer, in my area it's too hot in the shade .very frustrating.
No you don't. The worms will travel to where the food source is in the top working tray. If you notice any worms in the castings when you are distributing them into your garden, you can hand pick them out and pop them in with the remainder of the worms.
I am confused by this video. In the Tumbleweed instruction manual is says to use one working tray. In this video after putting in the soaked bedding and cardboard the second tray is placed on top immediately on the first tray.
i just bought the cafe ... and after reading and watching the video... very very confusing... how about a diagram to show what and how the whole thing works... as well as speaking.... it will stop the confusion of which tray is which.. and now after several years... you should have addressed the questions and provided an updated video... to show the outcome.... between this video the bunnings video and the other WAY tooo much difference.,
Yes the worms are able to travel to the top working tray, to ensure they have access to do this I would suggest to put a few handfuls of soil on one side so it reaches the top working tray to allow the worms to be able to wriggle between the two trays. The worms travel to where the food source is, and you can encourage them to travel to the top working tray by placing banana peels, avocado or the rind of a watermelon to lure them up there.
the problem is the next step mine are in a soggy mix but wont come up to get the food in the top layer what have i done wrong plz should i put them out on a table and sort them out of the mess
The worm farm contents inside needs to be moist, and not soggy or sludgy. I would suggest to put some shredded paper into the worm farm and mix it through - the shredded paper will help absorb the excess liquid.
Generally speaking the worms tend to travel where the food source is which should be the top working tray. You can entice the worms by using banana skins, avocado or watermelon rind and place them in the top working tray to lure them. If you notice any worms in the bottom working tray when your ready to harvest the castings, you can simply hand pick them out and place them in the other working tray.
Hey Angus, I've had my worm cafe for a couple weeks now and I've just noticed this morning some of the worms (between 5 and 10) are crawling around the top if the lid. I couldn't find anything about it in the booklet. Do you know what that's about?
The worms are sensitive to air pressure changes in the weather. They will often go up into the lid even before it rains. In nature this takes them out of the soil to stop them flooding and drowning.
Hi May, it's normal to have some worms left in the castings when you harvest to put into your garden. As the worms are composting worms, we would recommend to mulch over the area after you have spread your castings, so that the area is keep dark and moist, for happy worms!
I cannot find the answer to this question and will experiment myself once my pets mature. It should be a problem however (good soils always have worms)
Hi Hannah, I do apologise. If you could please contact us through sales@tumbleweed.com.au or phone 1300 137 356 ask to speak to myself, I will be happy to help you out with your enquiry. Lauren
Just like the comment by Nitro, the manual differs to this video!! Yet an explanation still hasn't been provided why. How should this system be setup??
You can set it up both ways. Either setting up initially starting with one working tray where the bedding block, worms, blanket and food scraps you put in there or utilizing an additional working tray and put the scraps in the top working tray with the blanket, and have the worms and bedding block in the bottom tray where the worms can travel between the two trays. Both ways work effectively.
You can try using a slice of bread that’s been soaked in milk in the working tray of your worm farm to lure them for easy removal after 2 days. You may need to repeat the process a few times depending on how many you have in the worm farm. Also ensure that you are sprinkling a teaspoon of our Worm Farm and Compost Conditioner in once a week to neutralise the pH level, and to be pouring 4-5 litres of water in your worm farm once a week.
If your in Australia, you can purchase through our Tumbleweed website as a worm farm kit which comes with everything that's needed to start your worm farm, such as the live composting worms, compost, blanket, bedding block and the worm farm itself.
All sounds good to me but, I prefer a winter chop and drop of seaweed and leaves and letting the wind and the rain take the strain. By spring of the following year most of it has 'disappeared' into the soil I will be growing in. Some of this I attribute to the worms in the soil eating it but I have no evidence of that. What I really need is someone who has a worm bin to put some seaweed in there to see if worms do really eat seaweed. Is the anybody out there who adds seaweed to there worm bin and could give me an answer ? Could you be that person? HGV
I notice that you put all the food scraps in a tray above the home tray. This is the first time I've ever seen this; normally they are sprinkled across the top of the dirt in the home tray. Is there a real difference?
Both methods are fine to use, in this particular video we showcase doing it this way having the food scraps put in the top working tray, so you are able to utilize all working trays from the beginning.
Hi, Thanks for your inquiry. I have passed your inquiry through to management and have been advised we will definitely look into creating a tutorial on this.
There's another video you did where the first tray was straight in with the worms and worm bedding. ruclips.net/video/U31PrQYu4Oc/видео.html I followed that then saw this video using 2 trays and now looks like I did it wrong. Anyway my worms are doing great.
To try to avoid raccoons or any other pests from knocking over and eating at the worm farm, is to try moving the worm farm into an area such as a garage, shed or to a more protected area in the garden.
It’s not uncommon to sometimes have worms finding their way out - but if you have had majority of worms leave the farm, this is very unusual. There could be a few reasons for this: 1. The worm farm is not in balance. If materials are added to the farm that alter the pH level so it become extremely alkaline or extremely acidic, the worm will try and get away from this environment. Worms like a neutral pH, which is why it’s important to maintain a varied diet for the worms including a 50/50 mix of green and browns, but also to regularly add Worm Farm and Compost Conditioner to balance the pH level. 2. The worm farm is too wet. If the worm farm is too wet, worms can drown. Worm breathe air through their skin, so if the bedding of the worm farm is too wet, or the tap has been left closed and the bedding is saturated then worms instinctive response will be to move out of the bedding and into the lid area. It could be during an event like this that worms could find their way out of the worm farm. 3. Unlikely for this scenario, but still a possibility: The worms have become too hot or too cold, and have perished. Worms like an optimum temperature range of approximately 18 - 25 degrees Celsius. While they can be quite hardy creatures, they are susceptible to perishing if the temperature become extremely cold (below freezing) or extremely hot (over 30 degrees Celsius). It’s important to keep the worm farm in a sheltered spot to reduce the temperature fluctuations as much as possible - during colder months it’s recommended to keep them on a veranda or in a garage/basement, and in summer, under a shady tree in a covered spot. I would recommend to check the tap is open, and if it isn’t, turn it to the ‘on’ position and place a bucket underneath. Always leave the tap open. Then mix some worm farm and compost conditioner through the contents of the top tray of the worm farm - for this time mix through a few spoonful’s and maintain a weekly conditioner feed of one teaspoon a week.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
I have this exact worm farm with 3 trays. I filled all three trays with somewhat aged compost. And started feeding the top tray. Every 5 weeks I bring the bottom tray up. After a few rotations you will find that your population has grown and you can actually harvest every 5 weeks. I'm one year on and the worms are getting faster and faster.
Hello, I just want you to know that your system is at my terrace long far away in Chile. It works incredible and has been a great experience for me. Thanks a lot for your development
Very good presentation, very clear and informative. Thank you.
My husband just bought me one....l am so excited and very happy with it..
Can't wait to start making organic plant food.🎉🎉🎉🎉💗🌟🎉🎉🎉🌟💗
Thanks mate, good clear and simple explanation. Appreciate your replying to comments too, I wasn't aware that the middle tray also worked effectively as a worm housing.
I've never seen it run this way.
I like to add the scraps to the bedding itself, and cover the food with bedding to prevent drawing fruit flies etc.
This looks awesome. Saw them in bunnings today but didn’t buy. This video has sold me, thanks! Ps put your website link in the description as can help you convert people easier.
Did you get one? You will have so much fun and your plants will love you.
fantastic video, very informative and clear sound. Thank you
Ordered it yesterday ! Can’t wait to have worm babies!!!!!! ♥️
What a great tutorial! So inspiring!
you have helped me a lot didn't understand how to use
I am confused. I have the Worm Cafe with 4 layers as you show at the beginning (1:38).
The 4th layer at the bottom is the liquid container which you say always keep the tap open so the liquid fertilized drains out straight away into a bucket.
So there are 3 more trays above the base tray.
If this is the case then there is no need at all for a deep dray as the base.
So the next tray up you put the bedding and the worms. 3rd tray.
On the top tray you call the working tray you add the vegie scraps etc and the blanket.
Why have I got an extra tray?
At 4:53 you take off the top working tray and take off the 2nd tray you call the home tray and empty out all the worm castings.
Then you take what was the working tray (now empty) and put that on the bottom. It is now empty whereas when you started the bottom tray had the bedding mixture plus the worms.
So did the worms climb up into the working tray at the top?
I have 3 trays above the base tray. You seem to be working with one less tray - ie only 2 trays.
Also, if you needed the bedding mixture at the beginning do you not need it later on?
I am confused.
007Stalled 7 you can learn from this man ruclips.net/video/GYc-AwrcFRU/видео.html
With the worm café, with having more additional working trays available, the worms can process up to 4-6kg of waste per week using this worm farm. The bottom collector tray is collects the liquid, the next tray up is where the bedding block is placed with the worms, and the tray above that to place the kitchen food scraps etc in there with the worm blanket on top. Once the working trays fill up - which generally takes around 3-6 months you can than add the additional working tray on top and start feeding the worms from that top working tray - so you will have 3 working trays at that point running. The worms travel up and down the working trays for food also. Your don’t need to add an additional bedding block later on, we advise to set this up originally for a few reasons, it’s a natural fiber that the worms will gradually eat and process over time, and also its to get you started for the worms to start living amongst when starting out in the worm farm in the home tray.
The farm shown in the video only has three layers not four. The bottom layer is the liquid collector, then there is a home tray and then a working tray and then the lid (the lid looks like a layer to you I think). When he emptied the home tray, he put the working tray down on top of the liquid collector and then put the now empty home tray on top. It becomes the new working tray.
This video popped up as one of the Bunnings annoying videos but turned out alright. Top stuff Dr Stuart!
The mat should be part of the kit instead of having to purchase it separately.
Yeah right
exactly. the directions imply it's part of the kit. there are a bunch of confusing aspects to the directions.
😂Go feed your worms 😂
It’s not included. 🤦🏼 useless
I agree it should be included in the kit.....so until I can get back to bunnings which is an hour away from me I will just have to improvise and use something else
Wonderful tutorial. I’m still a bit confused. I’ve got the whole set up in front of me and need to assemble.
Back to rewatch again 😂👍🏼
Just ordered ours. How exciting!
Fabulous idea - been doing it for years (along with catching and burying carp in our garden). Got a couple of videos on my channel about how to bury carp easily.
Do I need to keep buying the bed block for worms ?
Thank you this was marvellous 🌟
Great tutorial! Thank you :)
I am considering getting a worm farm but am still unsure about a couple of things.
At 4:12 when the castings tray was taken out and emptied to be put in the garden or whatnot, where are the worms? Had they already made their way to the other tray or am I to sift them out and physically save them from being emptied from the farm?
Generally speaking the worms tend to travel to where the food source is in the top working trays, if you ever notice any worms when you are about to remove the castings from the bottom working tray, you can simply hand pick them out and place them in the top working tray.
@@YourEarthMatters thank you.
I just got home and am setting mine up now.
Rewatching your video first though 😉
I noticed that in the manual compared to the tutorial there is a major difference in the set up.On page 9 Setting up your worm farm it says to use just one working tray (as per picture on page 3) and let them settle for a a couple days, which I did. Yet in the tutorial I just watched his initial setup used two trays to begin with. One for the compost and worms, the other for the scraps covered by the blanket.
Now, i want to know how and why my worms died on the second day when I followed their manual, yet they were thriving in my own home made bin prior to transferring them. A lot of them also ended up in the tea tray. I'm hoping the company will be able to respond and explain this as it is now going to cost me more money to start over which is very annoying when I had some huge worms and lots of eggs. Also my worms were straight from my garden and I spent about 15 hours collecting them with a bad back. I used the worms natural soil in my homemade set up and they thrived, then used the coir bedding with some of their original soil mixed.
Hi Tania, I apologise for your experience so far with our product. If you could please forward your contact details to myself at sales@reln.com.au and I'll be happy to go through with you and determine what has happened to work towards a solution in keeping your worms healthy and happy. Lauren
I am doing the setup today. Am I supposed go use one working tray or two as per the video? I do not want to lose my worms please.
I am doing my set up today. Am I supposed to use one working tray or two per the video? I do not want to lose my worms please.
yes I noticed the same thing, I set it up the way the manual said, but I am now wondering if I should put a second tray on as in this video
@@YourEarthMatters this is the same situation for me. I wondered what the exrra tray was for. Manual not the same as this. Makes more sense now. I've been putting the food scraps into the origional worm tray along with the worms and starter compost block. Been a few weeks now and all seems to be ok, but this makes more sense.
Very good vidio sharing🙏
best
vid ever i subbed and liked
Hello. I started my worm cafe three months ago. I started using two trays. Should I harvest the bottom tray now? When should I add the third tray?
Hi tumbleweed or Angus, Sorry for this silly question but for the top tray u know how you put the food scraps up there? how come you cant put the food scraps with the worms in the middle tray where you placed the coir bedding?. And how does the worm castings stay at the lower level when they are feeding at the top? sorry about this I am just a little bit confused.
Worms are top feeders, meaning they will always move upwards to the surface to find food. They will move around in the worm farm to deposit castings in the lower part of the worm farm - the working trays all have holes in the base which allow worms to travel between the trays.
You can start a worm farm with one tray or two - it’s completely up to you. Both ways will work. If you are starting with one tray, your worms will live in the bedding and you will feed them in that tray directly onto the bedding. If setting up with two trays to start with, it’s important to make sure that the two trays ‘connect’. This means that the bedding in the lower tray touches the base of the upper tray - allowing worms to travel between trays. If setting up with two trays, you always feed the worms in the top tray, as worms will travel to find the food.
As worms work in a cycle of moving upwards to feed, then downwards to deposit castings, you will find the most processed castings will always be in your lowest working tray. Because worms work in this way, when the castings look dark and smell earthy, they can easily be harvested by removing the lower tray and emptying the castings. This tray now becomes the top tray where you will feed your worms, and the whole cycle starts again.
confused. "the home tray being full" has no bearing on the bottom tray's readiness, correct? Also, my working tray contains more soil-like material than the bottom tray, which still feels much like the original coir.
So when you tip out the poo from the bottom tray, all the worms come out with it, right? So there's no worms in the new bottom tray?
I notice when you rotate the trays, the new home tray doesn’t have any cardboard at the bottom though, so whatever that was needed for (I think it is to stop the worms dropping into the liquid) is not needed later for some reason? Also other worm farms tutorials only use the one tray for home and work until it gets full and then they place the second tray on top, emptying the bottom tray once the worms migrate. You recommend using both trays from the get go?
I have read that worm tea is made using worm castings. The liquid that drains from the tap is leachate and needs to be treated with some care.
Above ground worm farming is the perfect way to generate substantial quantities of liquid organic fertiliser, or ‘leachate’, which can be used to liquid feed the urban garden in a sustainable way. The digestion process in the worm’s gut produces vermicast, which includes a lot of soluble nutrients and beneficial organic matter. The nutrients can be leached out, or the vermicast can be used to make a ‘tea’. Depending on the feedstock, a worm farm will usually produce a fertiliser that contains the essential nutrients for plant growth in the right balance to replace those removed when we harvest our various food crops. In addition, the food moves through the gut of an earthworm, a complex range of beneficial microbes are added to it. Consequently, if you use fresh worm liquid on your garden, it has the added benefit of acting as a probiotic for your soil as well. Ensure you leachate or ‘tea’ is not too dark that you can’t see through it - as this indicates it’s too strong to put straight onto plants. If the solution is too concentrated, add water until you can see through it to avoid any burning of plants. This is particularly important to young seedlings but can also apply to more mature plants. This liquid can be applied strategically at the times most needed, for example to boost the growth of young seedlings or to obtain a dramatic response from plants that are starting to fruit. - Cited from “Grow Your Own - how to be an urban farmer” by Angus Stewart & Simon Leake.
Very nice! I know this is for the composting worms, but will this model work for European Nightcrawlers? All it has to do is keep them happy for a week or two, to be let out when my front and back lawns are aerated in the spring, and there are nice holes to hop into. (Last year, I tried drilling into the hard clay soil with an auger bit, and this was not an easy solution.)
And how many worms, realistically will a tray hold? I can order 100-1000.
Scheduling around the post office, the weather and my lawn guy has not worked, timing wise. And they really really want to get going in just a couple of hours of being delivered.
I’m unfamiliar with the European Nightcrawlers - from what I have read up on them on google, they have similar characteristics as the red wigglers (Eisenia Fetida), and their relatively thin skin makes these worms best suited for a sheltered composting environment. Usually as a guideline we advise for the purpose of setting up the worm farm is to start with 1000 worms, however they usually breed over time, and can fill up to roughly 10,000 worms in the worm farm.
So, I am finding keeping my system too moist is attracting mites and flies. Is it possible I am not watering enough? I can not imagine adding this much water weekly. But maybe I am not watering it enough?
Which is correct one tray to start or two as shown in the video?
That was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I just drain the bottom every week would be ok?
Do i need to put the blanket in summer? Cause it seems really hot in summer
Does anybody know how to stop worms getting out of worm cafe at night short of leaving a light on at night? Most get out and then I get more more worms which then they all die in the heat of summer, in my area it's too hot in the shade .very frustrating.
I
have notice when removing my worm blanket the underside has worms in it is this ok.
The packaging cardboard has a film of plastic over it that the worms obviously don’t eat. Not sure why you’d recommend putting it in there.
do you need new worms once you harvest the home tray?
No you don't. The worms will travel to where the food source is in the top working tray. If you notice any worms in the castings when you are distributing them into your garden, you can hand pick them out and pop them in with the remainder of the worms.
I am confused by this video. In the Tumbleweed instruction manual is says to use one working tray. In this video after putting in the soaked bedding and cardboard the second tray is placed on top immediately on the first tray.
Thankyou 👍🪱❤️
i just bought the cafe ... and after reading and watching the video... very very confusing... how about a diagram to show what and how the whole thing works... as well as speaking.... it will stop the confusion of which tray is which.. and now after several years... you should have addressed the questions and provided an updated video... to show the outcome.... between this video the bunnings video and the other WAY tooo much difference.,
Are u sure worms go up the top box? Mine doesn't. I have to use the second layer as the feeding box as well the first box.
Yes the worms are able to travel to the top working tray, to ensure they have access to do this I would suggest to put a few handfuls of soil on one side so it reaches the top working tray to allow the worms to be able to wriggle between the two trays. The worms travel to where the food source is, and you can encourage them to travel to the top working tray by placing banana peels, avocado or the rind of a watermelon to lure them up there.
the problem is the next step mine are in a soggy mix but wont come up to get the food in the top layer what have i done wrong plz should i put them out on a table and sort them out of the mess
The worm farm contents inside needs to be moist, and not soggy or sludgy. I would suggest to put some shredded paper into the worm farm and mix it through - the shredded paper will help absorb the excess liquid.
if it is ready to harvest the home tray, how do I know most worms are up on the top tray?
Generally speaking the worms tend to travel where the food source is which should be the top working tray. You can entice the worms by using banana skins, avocado or watermelon rind and place them in the top working tray to lure them. If you notice any worms in the bottom working tray when your ready to harvest the castings, you can simply hand pick them out and place them in the other working tray.
Hey Angus,
I've had my worm cafe for a couple weeks now and I've just noticed this morning some of the worms (between 5 and 10) are crawling around the top if the lid. I couldn't find anything about it in the booklet. Do you know what that's about?
The worms are sensitive to air pressure changes in the weather. They will often go up into the lid even before it rains. In nature this takes them out of the soil to stop them flooding and drowning.
Is it ok for some worms to still be in the composting soil when I use it in the garden?
Hi May, it's normal to have some worms left in the castings when you harvest to put into your garden. As the worms are composting worms, we would recommend to mulch over the area after you have spread your castings, so that the area is keep dark and moist, for happy worms!
I cannot find the answer to this question and will experiment myself once my pets mature. It should be a problem however (good soils always have worms)
when i bought the worm cafe i only got 2 trays the collecting tray and working tray
Hi Hannah, I do apologise. If you could please contact us through sales@tumbleweed.com.au or phone 1300 137 356 ask to speak to myself, I will be happy to help you out with your enquiry. Lauren
Just like the comment by Nitro, the manual differs to this video!! Yet an explanation still hasn't been provided why. How should this system be setup??
You can set it up both ways. Either setting up initially starting with one working tray where the bedding block, worms, blanket and food scraps you put in there or utilizing an additional working tray and put the scraps in the top working tray with the blanket, and have the worms and bedding block in the bottom tray where the worms can travel between the two trays. Both ways work effectively.
@@YourEarthMatters thank you for replying. I think you should make a new video showing the method mentioned in your manual and the alternative 👍
Do you have problem with mites? So many worms lovers have this problem and don’t know how to get rid of them
You can try using a slice of bread that’s been soaked in milk in the working tray of your worm farm to lure them for easy removal after 2 days. You may need to repeat the process a few times depending on how many you have in the worm farm. Also ensure that you are sprinkling a teaspoon of our Worm Farm and Compost Conditioner in once a week to neutralise the pH level, and to be pouring 4-5 litres of water in your worm farm once a week.
I am very interested in worm farming, but I have a question... Do the worm farms come with the worms, or you have to buy them separately at a nursery?
If your in Australia, you can purchase through our Tumbleweed website as a worm farm kit which comes with everything that's needed to start your worm farm, such as the live composting worms, compost, blanket, bedding block and the worm farm itself.
Ive just orded the worm cafe pack, hope it comes with with worms that are alive!
why do they eat the blanket I've now bought 2
All sounds good to me but, I prefer a winter chop and drop of seaweed and leaves and letting the wind and the rain take the strain. By spring of the following year most of it has 'disappeared' into the soil I will be growing in. Some of this I attribute to the worms in the soil eating it but I have no evidence of that. What I really need is someone who has a worm bin to put some seaweed in there to see if worms do really eat seaweed. Is the anybody out there who adds seaweed to there worm bin and could give me an answer ? Could you be that person? HGV
I have attached a link with an experiment that was done, you may find the answer there. working-worms.com/worming-with-kelp/
How to order replacement parts for your wormfarm or additional parts?
If you go to our Tumbleweed website, and click on the spare parts section, you can order through there.
I notice that you put all the food scraps in a tray above the home tray. This is the first time I've ever seen this; normally they are sprinkled across the top of the dirt in the home tray.
Is there a real difference?
Both methods are fine to use, in this particular video we showcase doing it this way having the food scraps put in the top working tray, so you are able to utilize all working trays from the beginning.
@@YourEarthMatters The bedding isn't high enough to reach the food scap tray though. So how can they reach the second tray day one?
I bought 1000 top up bag, I believe the cartons should have a best before date as most of the Worms were dead, I'm very disappointed 😞
what soil do I get when starting up a worm farm
No soil required. Get a coconut coir/peat block (shredded coconut fiber), soak it in water and that will be the basis of the worm's soil.
The best organic soil to use is straight from your own garden. Potting mix can sometimes contain things the worms don’t like.
I was wondering if you might do a tutorial on the difference between worm castings and worm compost. Im a little confused. thankyou
Hi, Thanks for your inquiry. I have passed your inquiry through to management and have been advised we will definitely look into creating a tutorial on this.
Awesome that would be fantastic . Thankyou
im confused too. my farm only has a worm tray and a food tray, how do i get the worms out of the castings? do i need a second home tray?
Helo you can ship to Vietnam
what happens to all the scraps in the full working tray?
The worms will consume the scraps in there and process it.
Hey Angus, nice photography, looks very good - but your soundmix is a bit all over the place.
There's another video you did where the first tray was straight in with the worms and worm bedding.
ruclips.net/video/U31PrQYu4Oc/видео.html I followed that then saw this video using 2 trays and now looks like I did it wrong. Anyway my worms are doing great.
Sounds like a raccoon magnet.
To try to avoid raccoons or any other pests from knocking over and eating at the worm farm, is to try moving the worm farm into an area such as a garage, shed or to a more protected area in the garden.
Please don't say organic unless you mean chemical free. Better to say biodegradable
Love your worm farm. My worms escaped though.....all over the place.
What do I do? Just because it rained out?
It’s not uncommon to sometimes have worms finding their way out - but if you have had majority of worms leave the farm, this is very unusual. There could be a few reasons for this:
1. The worm farm is not in balance. If materials are added to the farm that alter the pH level so it become extremely alkaline or extremely acidic, the worm will try and get away from this environment. Worms like a neutral pH, which is why it’s important to maintain a varied diet for the worms including a 50/50 mix of green and browns, but also to regularly add Worm Farm and Compost Conditioner to balance the pH level.
2. The worm farm is too wet. If the worm farm is too wet, worms can drown. Worm breathe air through their skin, so if the bedding of the worm farm is too wet, or the tap has been left closed and the bedding is saturated then worms instinctive response will be to move out of the bedding and into the lid area. It could be during an event like this that worms could find their way out of the worm farm.
3. Unlikely for this scenario, but still a possibility: The worms have become too hot or too cold, and have perished. Worms like an optimum temperature range of approximately 18 - 25 degrees Celsius. While they can be quite hardy creatures, they are susceptible to perishing if the temperature become extremely cold (below freezing) or extremely hot (over 30 degrees Celsius). It’s important to keep the worm farm in a sheltered spot to reduce the temperature fluctuations as much as possible - during colder months it’s recommended to keep them on a veranda or in a garage/basement, and in summer, under a shady tree in a covered spot.
I would recommend to check the tap is open, and if it isn’t, turn it to the ‘on’ position and place a bucket underneath. Always leave the tap open. Then mix some worm farm and compost conditioner through the contents of the top tray of the worm farm - for this time mix through a few spoonful’s and maintain a weekly conditioner feed of one teaspoon a week.
It was too wet. I over watered it. But it's all good now.